Oh, What Avails Summary

This story, told in three parts, explores the life of Joan Fordyce. The first part deals with Joan's childhood. Joan's brother, Morris, was injured when he was four years old after falling on the prongs of a rake. He is now blind in one eye and wears glasses with one smoky lens to hide the injury. They all live in a large, old house that is falling apart in places, with some rooms boarded up. Joan's mother likes to watch the townspeople, make jokes about them and give them nicknames, and the whole family shares in this activity. There is a girl who lives nearby called Matilda, who Joan almost hero-worships because of her beauty. One day Matilda's mother, who they call Mrs. Carbuncle, comes over and tells Joan's mother that no-one has asked Matilda to the school dance...